."

Mrs. Woods's face clouded again.

"The Injun told husband that some of the warriors had formed a plot
against _me_, and that, if they were to capture me, they would torture me.
Gretchen, I am afraid. Don't you pity me?"

"Mother, I know my power over the chief and Benjamin, and I know the power
of a chief's sense of honor. I do pity you, you are so distressed. But,
mother, no evil will ever come to you where I am, nor the school where I
am. I am going to be a teacher among these Indians, if I live; I feel this
calling, and my work will somehow begin here."

"A teacher among the Injuns! You? You a teacher? Are anvils going to fly?
Here I am, a poor lone woman, away out here three thousand miles from
home, and tremblin' all over, at every sound that I hear at night, for
fear I shall be attacked by Injuns, and you are dreamin', with your head
all full of poetry, of goin' away and leavin' me, the best friend that you
ever had on the earth, as good as a mother to you; of goin' away--of
leavin' me, to teach a lot of savages! Gretchen, I knew that the world was
full of empty heads, but I never realized how empty the human heart is
until now! Been a mother to you, too!"

"O mother, I never thought of leavin' you unless you wished it."

"What did you think was goin' to become of me? I never kissed any child
but you, and sometimes, when you are real good, I feel just as though I
was your mother."

"I thought that you would help me."

"Help you, what doin'?"

"To teach the Indians."

"To teach the Injuns--Indians you call 'em! I'd like to teach one Injun to
bring back my saw! I never tried to teach but one Injun--and he was _him_.
You can't make an eagle run around a door-yard like a goose, and you can't
teach an Injun to saw wood--the first thing you know, the saw will be
missin'.--But how I am runnin' on! I do have a good deal of prejudice
against the savages; nevertheless--"

"I knew, mother, that you would say 'nevertheless.' It seems to me that
word is your good spirit. I wish you would tell me what thought came to
your mind when you said that word."

"'Nevertheless?'"

"Yes."

"Well, the Master--"

"He said--"

"Yes--preach the gospel to every creature! I suppose that meant Injuns and
all."

"Yes--he said '_teach_'--so the schoolmaster explained it."

"Did he? Well, I ought to obey it in spirit--hadn't I?--or at least not
hinder others. I might help you teach it if I could get into the right
spir